Sports podcasts have become the new sports talk radio. Why are they so popular with audiences? What purpose do they serve in the sports media landscape? And what do you think of the trend of former and current athletes hosting their own podcasts? Be sure to offer specific examples to support your points.
Sports podcasts have clearly become the new sports talk radio and I do not think their increased popularity will decline with today’s technologically advanced society. People nowadays are less and less likely to watch live games, which are really expensive to broadcast. Sports podcasts are a platform where athletes can speak their minds and tell the stories that not many reporters could pry out of them. The podcast “All the Smoke,” is hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson where they get to talk about their experiences in the NBA and important moments in their lives and society. According to the article, “The Rise of the Athlete Podcaster,” Hua Hsu wrote, “Last September, Jackson spoke movingly about his relationship with George Floyd, whom he befriended when they were teenagers, growing up in Texas. After Floyd’s death, Jackson went to Minnesota to help lead protests against police brutality” (Hsu). This is a topic that is hard to talk about and for former athletes to share their stories, helps inspire others. I think it is really interesting to see former athletes hosting their own podcasts, especially when they bring on former or current teammates. In particular, J.J. Redick, former New Orleans Pelicans guard, has a podcast called “The Old Man & the Three.” He brought in his former teammate Markelle Fultz who faced a mysterious injury a few years ago, in which sports reporters did not respect his space and tried to pry answers out of him. Hsu states that “On the show, Fultz expressed his gratitude for Redick’s support, before talking about the mental strain of being scrutinized. It was an interesting moment, in which Redick was able to move between being a teammate, sympathetic to Fultz’s apprehension of the media, and inquisitive member of the media himself” (Hsu). This speaks volumes on how successful sports podcasts have become, especially those run by former athletes in the sports media landscape. They can relate to the frustration and lack of respect they get sometimes from reporters. This allows for a real and raw conversation.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, podcasts are so popular with audiences because they are so easily accessible. I know for me personally, I will always turn on a podcast to listen to when I go to the gym, clean my room, or have a long drive in the car.
ReplyDeletePodcasts also provide an opportunity for Brand Sponsors. People are not skipping through ads as one would think. According to Surviving Grady, in “WHY THE SPORTS INDUSTRY IS PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO PODCASTS, “A good percentage of listeners on podcasts actually bought something following a podcast advertisement. The reason is that when people listen to podcasts, they are more likely driving, working out, walking, or doing some physical activity, meaning that they rarely skip through the ads. Sports sponsors can easily align with the podcast hosts and get direct connections with those fans” (SG). Podcasts ads are growing increasingly fast. According to Casting a wide net: The business of sports podcasting, Tom Bassam writes, “Studies carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) found that while podcast advertising is still trailing traditional radio advertising, the digital format is growing at an astonishing rate. According to PwC’s separate 2019 Global Entertainment and Media Outlook report, radio advertising's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the US is set to be just 0.7 percent until 2023, increasing from US$17.9 billion in 2019 to US$18.4 billion” (Bassam). Podcasts are also accessible in the sense that you do not have to reserve time for them to air, you can watch them anytime.
Dave Warner has a sports podcast called “My Little Falls,” and wrote the article “Why have podcasts become so popular and what are they,” explaining his reasons for the boom in podcast production and viewership. Warner states, “we decided to put together a studio, and then make them available in two different ways. The first harkens back to the old radio days, where you tune in on a specific night at a specific time, to listen to your favorite ‘show’. The second is to offer them through all the favorite podcast platforms at the SAME time that they go live on the radio. So, if the show is going live on a Thursday night at 7 pm, it will be ‘live’ as a podcast at exactly the same time. Just search for My Little Falls on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, etc.” (Warner). This is really smart as it attracts views but also plays into the sports media landscape.
ReplyDeleteBassam, Tom. “Casting a Wide Net: The Business of Sports Podcasting.” SportsPro, 16 Nov. 2020, https://www.sportspromedia.com/from-the-magazine/spotify-podcast-blue-wire-kleiman-anfield-wrap-totally-football-show/.
Hsu, Hua. “The Rise of the Athlete Podcaster.” The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2021, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/05/the-rise-of-the-athlete-podcaster.
Warner, Dave. “Why Have Podcasts Become so Popular and What Are They?” My Little Falls, 17 Feb. 2021, https://mylittlefalls.com/why-have-podcasts-become-so-popular-and-what-are-they/.
“Why the Sports Industry Is Paying More Attention to Podcasts.” Surviving Grady, 18 July 2019, https://survivinggrady.com/why-the-sports-industry-is-paying-more-attention-to-podcasts#:~:text=The%20reason%20is%20that%20when,direct%20connections%20with%20those%20fans.
Nicole Clemons
ReplyDeletePodcast have become the new sports talk radio, and I do not see the trend ending anytime soon. Many people are enjoying listening and creating podcasts: “Major sports leagues, sports enthusiasts, fans, and even players have launched podcasts to experience sports and share the excitements and disappointments in a whole new way” (Surviving Grady 2014). I don’t listen to sports podcasts or really any podcasts. I am not a fan of listening to people talk I rather watch a video. Although a lot of people like to listen to podcasts due to the convenience. People can be driving, cleaning, or exercising while listening to podcast.
I think podcast are adding a deeper connection to fans and players. We can see more of the players personalities come out in podcast and hear their stories about their experiences with sports that we usually don’t hear from reporters. I think it is great that former and current athletes are creating podcast. They are able to brand themselves and show their creativity, “But podcasting, at the end of the day, is a great way to express yourself. The pressure of being on camera, that takes a lot more courage. [With] podcasting, you’re still entrepreneurial and you get to create”(Bassam 2020). Athletes already have a lot of pressure on them from reporters and broadcasters talking about their play. By creating a podcast, it gives them the opportunity to express their own feelings.
Sports podcasts allow athletes to open up about their experience, and talk about certain topics on their own, “Players have grown infatuated with sharing their perspectives in real time, in direct, unfiltered ways. Retired greats have realized that they possess endless content—stories, memories, behind-the-scenes morsels—that fans crave”(Hsu 2021). The sports podcast that comes to my mind is Spittin Chiclets with former NHL players Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney. On this podcast they talk about everything from hockey to pop culture. They also have guest on their podcast such as current and former players. This allows other athletes who are on the podcast to talk about topics that go deeper than what fans see. They talk about their experiences and what is going through their heads, which is something we don’t get from television.
Although podcasts are still on the rise, if you are not a big athlete the pay is less than what many may imagine. A lot of people see podcasting as a way to make it bug quick, “We tell people dipping your toe into podcast spending, you probably won't be thrilled with the results,” he says. “It takes a plunge underwater from the brand to spend for a bigger package and then a surge of loyal listeners to start understanding that this brand is funding their favorite podcast”(Bassam 2020). With so many influencers and athletes podcast doing well many people may try to get in on it as well. But the truth is if you are not a big-name athlete your podcast may not get the recognition you are expecting. “Whilst a strategic approach with the right influencer podcast series on the same network can be a “powerful audience”, it is hardly surprising that big-name athletes generate heftier buys, often in the six-figure region. Athlete-fronted shows are now commonplace among big podcast networks, with the flexibility and simple format making them attractive to the stars”(Bassam 2020).
I do believe that we will continue to see podcasting grow in the future. I also believe that we will see many athletes turning to podcasting after their careers to continue their brand and to tell their stories. I think this will allow more athletes to show their knowledge and passion for the game off of the court or field.
Nicole Clemons Cont
ReplyDeleteWork Cited
Red. “Why the Sports Industry Is Paying More Attention to Podcasts.” Surviving Grady Not Your Average Red Sox Blog Insufferable Since 2004, 2014, https://survivinggrady.com/why-the-sports-industry-is-paying-more-attention-to-podcasts.
Bassam, Tom. “Casting a Wide Net: The Business of Sports Podcasting.” SportsPro, 16 Nov. 2020, https://www.sportspromedia.com/from-the-magazine/spotify-podcast-blue-wire-kleiman-anfield-wrap-totally-football-show/.
Hsu, Hua. “The Rise of the Athlete Podcaster.” The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2021, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/05/the-rise-of-the-athlete-podcaster.
Danielle Zerbo
ReplyDeleteSports podcasts have become wildly popular among several generations of fans. They offer a refreshing new perspective for sports fans that was not available to fans beforehand. Recently, athletes have begun to host their own podcasts, which gives fans an even greater look into the lives and the mindsets of their favorite players. What is unique about sports podcasts is that the athletes are not required to get beyond that microphone. They are choosing to be there. Because they are doing it voluntarily, they are speaking to their fans candidly. Their personalities come out even more because they want to be there. This thought is supported by Hua Hus, who says that podcasts hosted by athletes, “humanize players”, and allow us to be “immersed” into their lives (Hua). Hua explains how that, since players are more comfortable in a setting away from the traditional media, fans get to see their personalities. We get to learn more about their personalities in a platform that was not previously available to us. That is why sports podcasts have continued to grow in popularity.
Sports podcasts play a huge role in the sports media landscape. Due to the transparency and candidness that sports podcasts offer to fans, the number of listeners that they have will continue to rise. This will cause more money to be poured into the industry. For example, Spotify just spent 196 million dollars on the acquisition of the Ringer, which “brought founder Bill Simmons’ eponymous podcast into the fold, as well as the platform’s editorial staff” (Bassam). The fact that The Ringer is worth 196 million dollars to Spotify proves how valuable sports podcasts are to this media landscape. That number is only going to increase. In addition, Daniel Ek, chief executive said that the acquisition of the Ringer was equivalent to ‘buying ESPN’, and that it is a “tremendously valuable property” (Bassam). For a chief executive to say proves how large of a role sports podcasts are going to have to the sports media landscape.
Personally, I love the trend of former athletes hosting their own podcasts. I’m a huge sports fan, and I love to listen to podcasts when I drive, so the trend of athletes hosting their own podcasts has been great for me. One of my favorite sports podcasts to listen to is R2C2, hosted by Ryan Ruocco and CC Sabathia. Sabathia was never a quiet interview, but he often had to be conservative with his answers because his was a part of the Yankees. However, now as a host of R2C2, he can speak his mind on his own terms. He tells stories and opinions relating to current and past news stories that you could only get directly from him, on his podcast. I have found this to be true for most athletes who have podcasts. They feel comfortable to speak their mind because it is not in a game setting. On one of the more popular episodes of R2C2, Sabathia spoke his mind about the Astros’ recent cheating scandal. Sabathia said, “’F-cking 17 we should have won the World Series. I don’t care what nobody says. And now that this happened, nobody can ever f-cking tell me that we wasn’t going to win it!’” (Penner). It was such raw emotion that I had never heard come from him before. That is why I love the trend of athletes hosting their own podcasts: They give us the insight and emotion that we yearn to hear about, that we could only know if it came directly from them.
DeleteWorks Cited
Bassam, Tom. “Casting a Wide Net: The Business of Sports Podcasting.” SportsPro, 16 Nov. 2020, https://www.sportspromedia.com/from-the-magazine/spotify-podcast-blue-wire-kleiman-anfield-wrap-totally-football-show/.
Hsu, Hua. “The Rise of the Athlete Podcaster.” The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2021, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/05/the-rise-of-the-athlete-podcaster.
Penner, Brad. “Yankees' CC Sabathia Goes off about Astros Sign-Stealing: 'F--King '17 We Should Have Won the World Series'.” SNY, 16 Jan. 2020, https://sny.tv/articles/yankees-cc-sabathia-goes-off-about-astros-signstealing-fking-17-we-should-have-won-the-world-series.
Brandon Krikorian
ReplyDeleteProfessor Burns
27 February 2022
Weekly Blog #5
Sports podcasts have overtaken sports media and how it is covered in modern times and into the future. Personally, I have been listening to sports podcasts for about 4-5 years and I feel that that is the time when sports podcasts started to become a lot more popular in the mainstream media. I think the reason as to why sports podcasts have become so popular is the openness and free air for personalities to say what they want to say. There are two types of personalities when it comes to sports podcasts and that is the journalist’s side (outsider), or the athlete (insider). Journalists who have their own sports podcasts are usually people who have a huge following on social media or gained a following throughout their years of working for a sports media company like ESPN, for example. In terms of athletes who have their own podcasts, it can be a current player or a retired player and their podcasts are popular because it is direct communication with someone who played in a professional league and knows what is happening on a day-to-day basis. Personally, I like listening to the journalist’s side which is why my two favorite sports podcasts to listen to are The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Ryen Russillo Podcast. These are my two favorite podcasts because of their individual personalities and them not being afraid to say what is on their mind and also looking at situations from different perspectives. I also enjoy when they have guests on since they are both highly regarded in the sports media world, they have the ability to have important and valuable people to talk about different sports and give really good information. It is not surprise that Spotify bought The Ringer, which was founded by Bill Simmons and hosts both podcasts. The article talks about the importance of what The Ringer can bring to Spotify, “The addition of The Ringer – which brought founder Bill Simmons’ eponymous podcast into the fold, as well as the platform’s editorial staff – cost Spotify another US$196 million and demonstrated the value of the sports element of the equation. Daniel Ek, the Spotify chief executive, said at the time that his company was “basically getting the new ESPN” (Bassam). The Ringer is a company that has multiple podcasts in multiple different fields so it not only brings some of the best sports podcasts coverage with big stars, but also brings in people who want to hear about entertainment, music, betting, and more. The reason that sports podcasts are becoming the new wave and companies are willing to pay millions to incorporate them in their business is the ability to push out sports content whenever you feel like it, have it be about whatever you want it to be about, and have just about any guest you want on the episode. That is something that traditional network stations cannot do as they have to stay on course with a strict schedule and can only spend a certain amount of time on individual topics.
Now looking at it from the athlete’s side, it gives them free air to express what is on their mind. There is no question that if your favorite athlete had his own podcast you would not listen to every episode because of what they might say about their own team, teammates, other players in the league, or just what is happening in general. It gives a direct connection from the athlete to the fan at home in a way that has never been done before and the closest it have ever been has been with social media, but there are still limits to social media. A perfect example, and one that was brought up in the article, was about J.J. Reddick and his own podcast. He started his podcast, “The Old Man & The Three,” where he has the ability to talk about topics around the NBA, or even other leagues. The article talks about his role in that connection between player and fan, “Redick has interviewed Stacey Abrams, Bob Iger, and Matthew McConaughey, but his primary role is as a sort of liaison between players and fans. He’s mellow and thoughtful, conscious of his position as a white athlete from a hippie background, which makes him an outlier in the N.B.A” (Hsu). When Reddick started his podcast, he was still in the NBA, and had many stories to tell as he had a really long career and was on some really good teams that made the playoffs. He also had many relationships with people around the league so he always knew what was going on which made him interesting to listen to and hear his perspective on things that would happen around the league. I still think that the best part of sports podcasts is when an athlete is a guest on an episode because it is similar to a post-game media session but it is more relaxed and they can say whatever they want and not have to worry about being fined or punished for their words. The best example of this is Aaron Rodgers and his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. At the start of the 2020 season, Rodgers agreed to appear weekly on the Pat McAfee Show during the NFL season as he is someone who is open-minded and is not afraid to give their opinion. McAfee is a perfect person to do this with as he is a former NFL player but is about having fun and saying whatever he wants too. With all of the news about Rodgers potentional departure from Green Bay, his appearances on the show are a must watch to see what he will say or what he will do. Recently, he posted what seemed to be farewell Instagram post the night before appearing on the show which inclined people to think that he was going to announce something the next day. FanSided posted an article where they tracked how people were in the livestream during his appearance on the show, “More than 130,000 people were tuning into the YouTube stream of The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday waiting for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to show up. The thought was that Rodgers had finally made a decision and he was going to break things live while on McAfee” (Perez). Not only were there 130,000 people in the livestream but another 280,000 watched the entire interview after it was officially posted on Youtube. All over Twitter and sports companies were quotes from Rodgers about his future with the team and what he will do in the coming weeks. The amount of power that an athlete can hold from having their own podcast or appearing on a podcast is immense and is only going to keep getting bigger as sports podcasts become even more mainstream.
Delete“Casting a Wide Net: The Business of Sports Podcasting.” SportsPro, 16 Nov. 2020, www.sportspromedia.com/from-the-magazine/spotify-podcast-blue-wire-kleiman-anfield-wrap-totally-football-show/.
Hsu, Hua. “The Rise of the Athlete Podcaster.” The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2021, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/05/the-rise-of-the-athlete-podcaster.
Perez, Braulio. “NFL Fans Are Furious with Aaron Rodgers' Appearance on Pat Mcafee Show.” FanSided, FanSided, 22 Feb. 2022, fansided.com/2022/02/22/nfl-fans-aaron-rodgers-pat-mcafee-show/.
Gage Kilborne 1
ReplyDeleteIt is no surprise that the media world is ever-changing, and it seems that the trend has impacted the sports world. The biggest impact to the sports industry has to be the podcast, because many sports fans realized how easy it is to create a podcast and post it online. Spotify's streaming service kind of made it a big deal to have podcasts all throughout the streaming world. There were some studies that found 90 percent of podcasts are listened in solitude meanwhile 93 percent listen to a podcast all the way through(Bassam). This shows that people are interested in the podcasts they are listening to.
The purpose that this serves in the sports media landscape is it provides sports fans a chance to speak their opinions on certain topics. Many might be wondering if there is an audience that is interested in listening to podcasts about sports and the answer is yes, there is a market for sports podcasting. According to YouGov Sport, 22% of sports fans are listening to sports podcasts a week(roughly 1 in 5)(YouGov Sport). This proves that although the impact is not resounding, there still is an interest in sports podcasts. The only reason that I can think of for why people might not be more interested is because they are generally so busy that they don't have time to sit down and listen to a podcast. I for one have a Spotify account but don't really listen to podcasts because I am so busy completing work that I don't have time to listen to some of my favorite podcasts.
Gage Kilborne 2
DeleteThe trend of having current and former athletes host their own podcasts is I don't really care for it because it can take away jobs from others who have studied in sports media specifically. It also provides media attention to marijuana, one of the most streamed podcasts is a great demonstration of this. "All that Smoke" was created by two-former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson where they talk about there playing careers and hint at smoking weed(Hsu). This is a great example for what I am talking about that marijuana is being legalized throughout the country and many media outlets are supporting the drug.
In the grand scheme of things with the media industry changing, sports fans are still interested in finding content to listen to. Regardless of who is providing the content, sports fans can choose which podcaster they want to listen to, whether it being a former athlete or another fan.
Bassam, Tom. “Casting a Wide Net: The Business of Sports Podcasting.” SportsPro, 16 Nov. 2020, https://www.sportspromedia.com/from-the-magazine/spotify-podcast-blue-wire-kleiman-anfield-wrap-totally-football-show/.
ReplyDeleteHsu, Hua. “The Rise of the Athlete Podcaster.” The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2021, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/05/the-rise-of-the-athlete-podcaster.
Sport, YouGov. “Podcasts: Which Sports Fans Are Listening?” YouGov Sport, 18 Dec. 2020, https://sport.yougov.com/podcasts-which-sports-fans-are-listening/.
Emily Sweeney
ReplyDeleteSports podcasts have become the new and improved sports talk radio and I believe that this trend will continue to rise as the generational shift occurs. Audiences are attracted to these sports podcasts for many reasons, the practicality of listening to a podcast being one. The popularity of podcasts also has to do with the idea that people can listen to someone talk about what they are interested in. Even with sports, everyone has their own niche, or likes and dislikes. Eoin Connelly supports this fact by stating, “Nevertheless, podcasts are often about niches – taking niche interests far and wide or carving niche audiences out of very big ones. At the time of writing, the number seven podcast on Apple’s charts in the sports category is ‘Quickly, Kevin: Will He Score?’, a comedy show about English soccer in the 90s. Difficult one to describe that, but if you get the reference, and it draws a wince and a smile at the same time, it might be your thing. The point is, it starts from a very broad base before burrowing into narrower sensibilities” (Connolly). By drawing fans in with a broader story and then narrowing it down to a specific niche, people feel special and pleased with the content they are receiving. Consumers also enjoy the idea of listening to a podcast where someone is talking without a mediator or without having to go through someone else to have their voice heard; audiences view this as a sense of freedom.
In the sports media landscape, podcasts serve the purpose of a talk-show that people can listen to at any time and can even listen to while doing other things. For the sports media industry, podcasts serve the role of a maintained audience engagement. Audiences will listen to podcasts and even pay attention to the advertisements, which doesn’t happen in other sports media landscapes. Tom Bassam went into more depth with this idea by stating “An Edison Research report in 2018 found that 90 percent of podcasts are listened to in solitude. A study by Wired in the same year found that 93 percent of listeners consume the entire episode, and Spotify’s own research in 2019 found that 81 per cent of people have researched or purchased something they heard of first on a podcast. Few can expect a six-second ad insert in a YouTube video to achieve anywhere near that kind of engagement or conversion rate” (Bassam). The fan engagement through purchases and the length that people are listening, further prove the idea that podcasts also serve the purpose of the future in the sports industry. With the large audiences that will continue to grow as the generational shift occurs, podcasts will continue to become more and more popular and will become a future for the sports media industry.
A big trend that has been present through podcasts is having former and current athletes host their own podcasts. Personally, I think that this is a great idea and a trend that will continue to rise in popularity. Even as a journalism major, I do believe that athletes should be able to speak about their life and inform people about it, without having to go through the media and risking being misread or misrepresented in any way. Hua Hsu gave an example of this by stating “The Pacers star Metta Sandiford-Artest—then known as Ron Artest—charged into the stands after a fan threw a drink at him. The media demonized the players involved, and new rules about off-court dress were introduced to make the league seem more presentable. Athletes rarely got the chance to speak their minds from inside the fishbowl” (Hsu). Nowadays, those athletes could take to a podcast and share their side of the story with no mediator in between them. This is a positive change where athletes are able to tell their truth and where audiences are more adept to listen because the athlete is the one telling the story.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Bassam, T. (2020, November 16). Casting a wide net: The Business of Sports Podcasting. SportsPro. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.sportspromedia.com/from-the-magazine/spotify-podcast-blue-wire-kleiman-anfield-wrap-totally-football-show/
Connolly, E. (2021, September 9). At large: Podcasts have been background noise in sport but a real change is audible. SportsPro. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.sportspromedia.com/opinions/sports-podcasts-audible-spotify-amazon-lebron-spinghill/
Hsu, H. (2021, March 25). The rise of the athlete podcaster. The New Yorker. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/05/the-rise-of-the-athlete-podcaster
Ethan Carrión
ReplyDeletePodcasting as a form of media has been skyrocketing over the last decade or so. Podcasts like Joe Rogan’s “Joe Rogan Experience” or the Crime Junkie podcast lead the charge for podcasting, and as these podcasts began to draw eyes, many of the major media companies began to jump on the bandwagon. One of the most influential groups of bandwagoners has been the sports podcasters. The Joe Rogan experience was the first major podcast to begin facilitating a sports commentary. The Joe Rogan experience was broken into two subtypes, typical podcasts, and MMA podcasts that Rogan would host with former and active combat sports athletes as well as coaches. Rogan’s MMA podcasts fell short of the views on his typical content but was the first to really open podcasting up to be a type of coffee shop sports talk. That coffee shop or bar-side style of conversation that these podcasts allow is what really seems to be drawing audiences in. On cable television or even YouTube most of the time there is a set time slot that the cast must fill, versus podcasts which tend to have looser time limits and less structure which allows for more in-depth, natural, and well-though-out conversations, as highlighted in “How long should a Podcast be?”. When you apply this to sports, having in-depth and well-thought-out conversations seems to be an ideal platform for the more detailed or niche conversations that fans typically only get to experience personally. (How long should a Podcast be?) Longer conversations about the more niche aspects of sports, (analysis of specific athletes, changes in staff, fan stories, etc.) are also something that fans have been craving and unable to access for years now.
The tribalism of sports is one of its greatest motivating factors. To truly embody that tribalist idea, there must be a sense of pride in the “tribe” or organization that the fan associates with. Part of that pride is knowing as much as you can about your organization. Podcasting has opened an entire market of team specific podcasts. Sports teams have always had their own channels or radio shows, but now with that bar-side feel that a podcast allows, the experience of having your team discussed and analyzed becomes much more personal as well as thorough. In Serazio’s “The Power of Sports”, the benefits of sports tribalism are best highlighted on page 100 when Serazio states, “As a vessel for social unity, the sports totem, theoretically invites any otherwise “independent” observer to want to become one with it- just as fans are equally drawn to that allure, rather than remaining autonomous from or critical of it.” (Serazio 100) There are clear benefits to being part of a sports team, even as a fan, and this has boosted podcasting as well by allowing more niche conversations to happen on more accessible platforms, as stated above. Podcasting seems to be becoming a more personal way to listen to sports, an Edison Research report quoted by Sports Pro states that, “90 per cent of podcasts are listened to in solitude”. (Sports Pro) This goes to show that podcasting really is a personal experience. That is also why I believe that having former athletes on podcasts is such a great idea, who would a fan rather have a conversation about sports with than one of their favorite former players. Of course fans cannot interact directly, but podcasting has done a great job to make the entire experience feel personal, and that is why I believe podcasting has experienced so much success as of recent.
DeleteSources:
Eastland-Jones, Matt. “How Long Should a Podcast Be?: Podcasting.” RSS, Dec. 2021, https://www.storyninetyfour.com/blog/how-long-should-a-podcast-be.
Bassam, Tom. “Casting a Wide Net: The Business of Sports Podcasting.” SportsPro, 16 Nov. 2020, https://www.sportspromedia.com/from-the-magazine/spotify-podcast-blue-wire-kleiman-anfield-wrap-totally-football-show/.
Serazio, Michael. The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture. New York University Press, 2019.
Blake Guerriero
ReplyDeleteSports podcasts are becoming more and more popular by the year it seems like. With sports radio being popular for so long it seems like its popularity is starting to slowly fade away in favor of sports podcasts. Podcasts in general have taken our society by storm in terms of quick and easy access to entertainment. Podcasts are so popular because it gives people a chance to express themselves and start their own as well as listening to various podcasters in the car, laying down, and eating. I personally have my own podcast as well, covering the New York Rangers and all things around the NHL.
Sports podcasts serve a huge purpose in the sports media landscape, first they give sports fans an opportunity to hear different perspectives about certain topics within sports. Sports broadcasters even have their own podcasts now to give off more of their own personal opinions about things. It gives sports fans an opportunity to also express themselves and their knowledge as well. Many sports fans are listening to sports podcasts as from my own personal experience I have many friends who listen to sports podcasts and always talk about them. Sports Podcasts also give athletes an opportunity to open up about their experiences and be able to be themselves as “Players have grown infatuated with sharing their perspectives in real time, in direct, unfiltered ways. Retired greats have realized that they possess endless content—stories, memories, behind-the-scenes morsels—that fans crave” (Hsu 2021). There are many former pro athletes that have their own podcast such as former NHL player Sean Avery, and the very popular Spittin Chiclets showcases Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney. These podcasts share their experiences from their playing days and have on guests that are involved or were involved in the NHL whether they were a player, coach, ref, etc. This gains the interests of fans, so much so it inspires them to make a sports podcast of their own.
More money is also being put into the sports media industry due to the uprise of sports podcasts. “The Ringer” which is a sports podcast that is owned by Spotify was a huge gain for them as Daniel Ek, chief executive said that the acquisition of the Ringer was equivalent to ‘buying ESPN’, and that it is a “tremendously valuable property” (Bassam). This shows there are many podcasts are starting to be valued within the industry.
ReplyDeleteI personally love the idea of current and former athletes hosting their own podcasts, it gives fans an opportunity to see a different personality side of these athletes as well as giving fans an inside scoop of what goes on behind the scenes and during their careers. Sports fans love content and especially content we don’t get in the mainstream sports media. These athletes also give themselves more of an opportunity to make money from merch and other things such as JJ Redick, a veteran player for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, announced a new podcast production company in partnership with Cadence 13 (Erwin).
Works Cited
Hsu, Hua. “The Rise of the Athlete Podcaster.” The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2021, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/05/the-rise-of-the-athlete-podcaster.
Warner, Dave. “Why Have Podcasts Become so Popular and What Are They?” My Little Falls, 17 Feb. 2021, https://mylittlefalls.com/why-have-podcasts-become-so-popular-and-what-are-they/.
Bassam, Tom. “Casting a Wide Net: The Business of Sports Podcasting.” SportsPro, 16 Nov. 2020, https://www.sportspromedia.com/from-the-magazine/spotify-podcast-blue-wire-kleiman-anfield-wrap-totally-football-show/.
Sports media enters 3rd Wave: The Rise of Athlete Podcasters as the next billion-dollar brand builders (part 1/2). RockWater. (2022, January 29). Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://wearerockwater.com/rise-of-athlete-podcasters/
Dalton Rice
ReplyDeleteSports podcasting has definitely become the new brand of sports talk radio. While sports radio still exists and does decently well at a local level, podcasts and their platforms have taken over. The one advantage early on with podcasts was that you could listen to them, pause them whenever and resume you guessed it, whenever. If you want to catch your favorite sports radio show, you might have to be in your car or listening to the station in the early hours of the morning without a replay option which is tedious.
When you are behind the scenes of creating a podcast that is at least somewhat successful, you start to earn brand deals that draw in money. While some of the ad reads are long and boring, you can simply skip them unlike on radio stations where you have no option but to hear about Arby’s for two minutes. One of my favorite sports podcasts, Bussin’ with the Boys, features Taylor Lewan, a current NFL player and Will Compton, an on-and-off practice squad/free agent. Neither of them care too much about their advertisers, they make it seem like they do but at the end of the day, Chevy and WhistlePig are cutting them sizable checks because of their reach and connection to Barstool Sports. Their ad reads are hilariously bad, but since I listen to them on Spotify, I can easily skip through the advertisements and get back to the banter. While both hosts are active NFL players, they are able to set aside a few hours to just talk and that is what has made podcasting such an ideal “side hustle” for athletes that engage with their audience (Surviving Grady).
The internet has paved the way for the careers of thousands of people and now athletes who might have already had an established career as a player, but now as media members. The Player’s Tribune is the best example of this because of the increase of humanization that athletes now receive. Derek Jeter was a cult favorite during his playing career for his play on the diamond, but after his retirement in 2014, Jeter built the bridge between player and human with his creation of the Players Tribune (Hsu).
Sports podcasts have not become solely popularized by athletes, there are still “normal” people out there succeeding with their podcasts. While podcasts do no work in the same way as a radio show or broadcast would in being able to provide live updates, many of the popular ones out there discuss narratives and recaps after the final buzzer sounds and are ready for listening within 48 hours, the best out there have it done in a day.
Podcasts in general have become a soon-to-be multibillion dollar industry and it is not a surprise with how Spotify has heavily invested in the industry. ESPN is the most recognizable name in sports at least in the United States and has reeled in over 40 million downloads for almost a calendar year straight (Bassam). On top of their daily television programming, mobile app success and notoriety, ESPN has all of the resources to drive the sports podcasting industry to the moon.
Works Cited
Bassam, Tom. “Casting a Wide Net: The Business of Sports Podcasting.” SportsPro, 16 Nov. 2020, https://www.sportspromedia.com/from-the-magazine/spotify-podcast-blue-wire-kleiman-anfield-wrap-totally-football-show/.
Hsu, Hua. “The Rise of the Athlete Podcaster.” The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2021, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/05/the-rise-of-the-athlete-podcaster.
“Why the Sports Industry Is Paying More Attention to Podcasts.” Surviving Grady, 18 July 2019, https://survivinggrady.com/why-the-sports-industry-is-paying-more-attention-to-podcasts.